Alarm-clock.



G. KERN.

ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1912.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

H s I F Inventor:

Witnesses h Mh". l

COLUMBIA PMNDGRAPH C0.-,WAsHlN TON, D. c4

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE KERN, OF PERU, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 \VESTERN CLOCK (10., OF LASALLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ALARM-CLOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE KERN, a sub ject of the Emperor of Germany,and resident of the town of Peru, La Salle county, and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements on Alarm-Clocks; and I do hereby declare that the following description of mysaid invention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheet ofdrawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention has reference to alarm clocks, particularly to alarmsounding devices in connection therewith, and it consists, essentially,in the novel and peculiar combination of parts and details ofconstruction, as hereinafter first fully set forth and described, andthen pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings already referred to, which serve to illustrate my saidinvention more fully, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a typical alarmclock embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a section thereof taken in thedirection of the arrow pointers in line 0 O of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is anelevation of a fragment of the hammer shaft on which is mounted thehammer or striker employed in my device.

Like parts are designated by corresponding characters or symbols ofreference in all the figures of the drawing.

The essence of my invention resides in the arrangement of a plurality ofalarm bells mounted at the back of the typical alarm clock of presentday manufacture, said bells being arranged within each other and soundedby a common striker. Releasing mechanism permitting the striker tooperate at a predetermined time has no part in this invention, as any ofthe present releasing devices may be employed; nor has the usual clocktrain of springs, escapements, gears, and clock hands any direct bearingand these parts are therefore eliminated from the drawing; it beingunderstood that any typical clock train may be used.

The object of my invention is the production of alarm devices for alarmclocks in which the rattle and noise of the escapement employed in theusual type of this class of devices is eliminated, and a purer, blendedtone or chime produced by a hammer rapidly Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed October 21, 1912.

Patented NOV. 18, 1913.

Serial No. 726,978.

striking a plurality of sonorous or resonant shells in succession oralternation.

To better understand the details of my invention, I now refer to thedrawing, in which- A is the cylindrical shell of a typical alarm clockand 1, the glass front thereto. Adjacent this front is the usualcircular dial 2, and, within the shell are supports 3 and 4, for theclock and alarm actuating trains, respectively, the former of which isnot shown in the drawings. The rear of the shell A is closed by acircular, flanged back 5, on which is a centrally formed boss 6, towhich is attached, by means of screws 7, a cup shaped, circular,resonant or sonorous shell 8. Located within this shell, eccentricallyto said shell 8, and mounted upon a stud 9 extending from back 5, is asmaller, similarly shaped shell 10, said shell being maintained inposition on stud 9 by a nut 11 or its equivalent,as clearly seen inFigs. 1 and 2.

Mounted in the supports 3 and 4 and extending through the back 5 andinto the shell 8 at a point preferably midway between the outer wall ofshell 10 and the inner wall of the shell 8, is a revoluble hammer shaft11, which shaft is adapted to be actuated by a gear train composedsubstantially of pinions 12, 13, and 14, and gears 15 and 16, the latterof which being loosely mounted upon a shaft 17 and revolved through theinter-medium of a pawl 18 engaging ratchet wheel 19, which ratchet wheelis fixed to said shaft 17. Motion is imparted to shaft 17 by a flatwound spiral spring 20, the inner end of which is attached to said shaft17, while the outer extremity is afiixed to a pin 21 maintained in theupper ends of the supports 3 and 4E. Shaft 17 extends through back 5,shell 8, and smaller shell 10, and exteriorly of the latter, is screwthreaded for the application of a key 22, by which said shaft 17 may berotated to wind up spring 20 in an obvious manner.

On hammer shaft 11 adjacent the bottom of resonant shell 8, is fixed acollar 23 having oppositely disposed clutch jaws 24, engaging shapedrecesses 25 on a loosely mounted hub 26. Formed integrally with this hubis a disk 27, on the face of which is pivoted a free swinging hammer orstriker 28, the inner end of which is provided with an extending finger29 adapted to engage the periphery of the hub 26, to limit the outwardswing of said hammer. To prevent longitudinal movement or the hub 26 onthe shaft 11*, pin 30, passing through said hub and shaft, is provided.

Operation of my device may now be described as follows: Assuming thatthe actuating spring 20 has been properly wound up and the usualreleasing devices (not shown) so tripped as to permit the hammer shaft11 to revolve under the impetus imparted by the spring 20 through thegears and pinions 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, it will be seen that thehammer 28 will be caused to swing outwardly by centrifugal force andstrike the exterior wall of shell 10 and the interior Wall of shell 8 inalternation, producing a pleasant chime. This impacting of the hammeragainst the Walls of the shells also acts as an escapement, preventingundue rapidity of revolution of hammer shaft 11*, and, as a sequence,too rapid unwinding of the spring 20.

Herein I have disclosed the preferred method of carrying my inventioninto effect, but I wish it understood that I may make changes in detailswithout departing from the scope or spirit thereof. For instance,instead of pivoting hammer 28 to disk 27, I

may afiix a resilient striker directly to the hammer shaft. And, I mayintroduce two more smaller bells into the shell 8, in the path of thestriker, so as to produce a chime of four notes. scope of the skilledmechanic, and are to be understood to be within the scope of thisinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure to myself by Letters Patent of the United States An alarm clockincluding a cylindrical shell, an alarm actuating mechanism therein, anda back thereto, a fiat bottomed, resonant, cup shaped shell aflixed tosaid bottom, concentrically therewith, a similar smaller resonant shellwithin said first named. shell, and arranged eccentrically therewith, ahammer shaft actuated by said alarm mechanism, said shaft extending intosaid first named shell between its inner wall thereof and the outer wallof said smaller shell, and a hammer on the end of said shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE KERN. In the presence of- WM. G. Cox, H. A. LINK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

Such changes are within the

